RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The WWE Royal Rumble will take place outside of North America for the first time in its 39-year history this Saturday, January 31, at a custom-built stadium in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).
The event, held as a signature highlight of the 2025–2026 Riyadh Season, features the traditional 30-man and 30-woman Royal Rumble matches, where winners secure a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. According to official announcements from the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and WWE, the venue was purpose-built for this event in under four weeks to accommodate the scale of the international production.
Confirmed Match Card & Key Participants:
- Men’s Royal Rumble Match: Confirmed entrants include Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Brock Lesnar, and Jey Uso.
- Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Confirmed entrants include Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Liv Morgan.
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn.
- Career Threatening Match: AJ Styles vs. Gunther (If Styles loses, he must retire from in-ring competition).
According to the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman, Turki Alalshikh, the hosting of this “Big Five” WWE event reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to bringing elite global entertainment to Riyadh. The event will begin at 9:00 PM local time (2:00 PM ET), following a two-hour countdown show.
For the first time, international audiences in regions including the UK and Saudi Arabia will stream the event live via Netflix, while U.S. viewers will access the broadcast through ESPN. This marks the 14th premium live event held in Saudi Arabia since the partnership began in support of Vision 2030.